“This Is Not Gaza,” Says Student Activist’s Father, Confirming His Prison Hunger Strike

Salman Sima, a student activist and member of the Advar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat student organization, has gone on hunger strike inside Evin Prison. Sima was arrested on 12 June 2010, his second post-election arrest, and is being detained at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp’s (IRGC) Ward 2-A at Evin Prison. In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Sima’s father confirmed his son’s dry hunger strike, saying, “He is on a dry hunger strike to protest his baseless arrest. He was going somewhere with his sister when he was arrested. His arrest was pre-planned.”

Arash Saghar — Espionage Charges, Fake Confessions, and an Ambiguous Status

According to research done by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Arash Saghar, was a senior member of Mir Hossein Mousavi’s campaign in last year’s presidential election. He worked in Sunni areas of the country, in the Gonbad Kavoos region. He was arrested last November and since then has been in solitary confinement. His condition in detention is unknown at this time.

Iran’s Human Rights Council Delegation’s Futile Attempts to Conceal Post-Election Abuse

The Iranian delegation at the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva anticipated an administrative meeting to review Iran’s periodic report about the situation of human rights in the country. They never imagined that the meeting would turn into a statement by 56 countries, criticizing Iran’s arrests and executions, and requesting the dispatch of a UN special rapporteur to Iran. Despite efforts by the Iranian delegation, they could not prevent the statement’s reading. After the statement was read, all eyes were on Iran and the deteriorating condition of human rights after last year’s presidential elections.

Summonses, Arrests, and Heavy Sentences In Tehran

In the weeks leading up to the first anniversary of the June 2009 presidential election, dozens of journalists and political, student, and civil society activists were arrested or summoned and interrogated by security forces. Heavy prison sentences continued to be handed down in the past several months. Intelligence authorities have been unrestrained in intimidating, threatening, and imposing a security environment on Iranian activists.

“Mr. Larijani, You Are Lying!”: The Fourteenth Human Rights Council Session in Geneva

The Fourteenth Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council continues in Geneva (31 May-18 June 2010). Last Thursday, head of the Iranian delegation, Javad Larijani, attended a meeting to review reports from Iran. Larijani had to observe explicit criticism of the human rights situation in Iran from member countries and international NGOs. Several non-governmental organizations present at this meeting countered Larijani’s statements about freedom of expression and human rights conditions in Iran, naming several Iranian prisoners of conscience who are currently in prison because they expressed their opinions. Among the names mentioned were Emadeddin Baghi, Shiva Nazar Ahari, Milad Asadi, and Hengameh Shahidi.

Iran Fails to Block Critical Human Rights Council Statement

(Geneva, 15 June 2010) The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran welcomed a statement by a broad, cross-regional group of 56 countries, expressing serious concern about the human rights crisis in Iran, which was issued today at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Iran along with a number of supporting states attempted to block the statement, but their procedural maneuver was dismissed by a ruling by the Council President, in which he allowed the statement to be read.

Iran Special Report: The Attack on Civil Society in Iran

Arseh Sevom, a newly-established NGO, has published a comprehensive report entitled “The Attack on Civil Society in Iran.” The report reviews the suppression of Iranian civil society by the Iranian government in recent years. The introduction describes the report’s contents: “This report does not concentrate on any particular individuals or organization, but rather on patterns of abuse that target different sectors of society through abuse of individuals and organizations…Dozens of reports exist about the abuse of individuals. We try to review the internal conditions which have led to the attacks on civil society…”

Al Jazeera: Iran’s political crisis-one year on

Part One ——— Part Two

Saba Vasefi Regains Consciousness after Suspicious Accident

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned that human rights defender and women’s rights activist Saba Vasefi, has regained consciousness after she was injured in an accident two weeks. Vasefi was in a coma for over 100 hours following the accident. After coming out of her coma, she now suffers from severe neck injuries and has not regained her full vision yet.

Serial Arrests of Human Rights Defenders — Arrest of Tajik follows that of Mohammadi

Journalist Abdolreza Tajik was arrested today for the third time since last year’s disputed election. His arrest came after a verbal summons was issued for him to appear in the Ministry of Intelligence. He now joins other journalists who have been arrested in the past few days. Various sources have reported the number of today’s arrests to be more than one hundred, although detailed information about these arrests have not yet been published. Tajik is the second member of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) in Iran to be arrested in the past 24 hours. Narges Mohammadi, another member of the DHRC, was arrested yesterday following the broadcast of a slanderous program to discredit Shirin Ebadi.